Chapter 62
Julian's POV
The first day after leaving the pack.
I rode my horse across the wilderness, the cold wind howling past my ears. I tightened the reins, my eyes scanning the endless grayish-brown land stretching before me.
This continent was so vast—finding one person would be nearly impossible.
I felt a growing sense of defeat and doubt stirring within me.
Before I left, Kane had mentioned that Ella wanted to go to Free Haven, but there were many routes to get there—coastal roads, inland trade routes, even secret forest paths.
Which one would Brian and his men choose?
The horse's hooves struck the frozen ground with dull thuds, each step reminding me that time was slipping away while I remained clueless.
Along the way, I encountered several attacks—rogue wolves, wild beasts, even arrows from unknown forces. But I handled them all without drawing on the ice element power in the Aulta Crown, relying solely on my swordsmanship and combat skills.
Now that Sage was sealed, I had to be far more careful about using those three remaining chances.
After searching fruitlessly all day, I found a relatively hidden clearing in the forest to rest. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. That's when I noticed something shiny moving across the ground.
At first I thought it was dew reflecting moonlight, but looking closer, I saw a procession of tiny figures—their ears and noses were extremely elongated, their bodies earth-gray, each no bigger than an apple.
Goblins—a peculiar race. Though weak, they were widely distributed and knew the terrain and local intelligence better than anyone. They marched in orderly formation like a miniature army, each carrying something glittering on their shoulders—probably diamonds or gems they'd collected.
Asking them for information should work.
I spoke softly, trying to make my voice sound gentle and non-threatening: "Pardon me, I'm looking for some people."
The goblin troop immediately stopped, eyeing me warily.
Their leader was slightly taller—about the size of a fist—wearing a hat woven from leaves. He lifted his long nose to sniff the air, his beady eyes glinting with cunning in the darkness.
"My name is Julian Argyle," I continued. "I'm looking for a girl and three men. The girl has amber eyes with a golden glow, slender build. The three men are all strong warriors, and the leader has a commanding presence, probably armed."
At that moment, the five gems on the Aulta Crown atop my head glimmered in the moonlight—four were dull and gray, while the center one glowed with an icy blue light. I noticed the goblin leader's gaze turn heated the instant he saw the gems.
"I'm Gurk," the goblin chief said in a shrill voice.
"The people you mentioned..." He deliberately paused, his small eyes darting between the crown and my face. "I think I've seen them. If you'd like, I can lead you to them."
"Really?" I asked, though suspicion stirred within me. Still, I didn't show it, simply nodding. "That would be most helpful."
Gurk led the way, his tiny legs moving rapidly, occasionally glancing back to confirm I was following. The other goblins spread out around us, seemingly on guard or searching for something.
I rode behind them, my gaze sweeping over their heads toward the path ahead, trying to recognize the route.
At first I held onto a thread of hope, thinking I'd actually gotten a lead. But gradually, I realized something was wrong—we kept passing the same landmarks. I'd already seen certain distinctive rocks and dead trees twice.
He's leading me in circles.
Just as I was about to confront him, something struck the back of my head hard.
A boulder rolled down from above—pushed by someone—and hit me squarely on the skull. I had no time to react. I tumbled from my horse, and the crown fell from my head.
My vision blurred instantly, and sharp, piercing laughter filled my ears.
"Quick! Pry off the gems!"
"These gems must be worth a fortune!"
"Careful, don't damage them!"
I struggled to push myself up, but everything was spinning. Warm liquid trickled down the back of my neck—blood.
Through my blurred vision, I saw the goblins swarming around the crown, using their tiny fingers to try to pry loose the gems.
Their movements were frantic and crude, with no regard for whether they might damage the crown itself.
Gurk stood at the front directing them, his face full of smug satisfaction.
Damn it...
I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't cooperate.
One goblin approached with a sharpened wooden stake, clearly intending to finish me off. His eyes held no hesitation—only cold killing intent.
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to summon the elemental power. A thread of blue energy flowed from the Aulta Crown, forming an ice sealing spell under my control.
The cold condensed instantly. That goblin froze into a statue, still posed mid-thrust with the stake.
"No!" Gurk shrieked in fury. "You dare harm my people! I'll kill you!"
He shouted to the surrounding goblins: "Everyone! Attack! Merge!"
I witnessed something incredible—countless goblins surged forward from all directions like a tide, converging on their leader. Their bodies began to fuse, gray skin melding together with nauseating squelching sounds. Bones cracked and snapped as if restructuring.
Within seconds, a massive three-meter-tall giant goblin stood before me.
It retained the basic goblin features, but its size had swollen to terrifying proportions.
The giant goblin shoved the Aulta Crown into its mouth, trying to crush it, and ended up breaking its own teeth. It roared in rage, spitting out broken teeth and bloody foam, then placed the crown on its head—where it looked absurdly comical on that enormous skull.
Then it charged at me.
I formed ice spikes with both hands and launched them, but the brute simply smashed them all with its fists. I channeled cold energy through gritted teeth, rapidly freezing the ground and generating a row of sharp ice spikes.
The giant goblin stepped on the spikes and howled in pain. Blood gushed from its feet, but it ignored the injury and charged toward me anyway, leaving deep bloody footprints with each step.
It swung its massive fists, pummeling me with brutal force.
The ice armor I'd generated shattered under the assault, ice shards flying. I felt sharp pain in my chest as I was hurled several meters back.
I struggled to my feet, breathing hard as I stared at the giant goblin.
I can't keep this up. I need to end this quickly!